Artist: Sako

Serigraph Artist, Herbert Phillip Sussman, also known as “Sako,” was a friend of CCA’s Coordinator, Jeannie Kirkhope, and an alumni of the Newark School of Art in New Jersey, class of 1951.  Although originally from a big city, Sako found his niche in the woods of Roane County, West Virginia, where he lived a solitary life close to the land, gardened organically, and made his collection of serigraphs, from 1981 until his death in 2012 at the age of 77.

Sako’s prints are one of kind, as he was. Local artist, gallery owner and Sako’s classmate, Philip Arabia, attests that the many bright colors in Sako’s prints are a testament to the complexity and accuracy of his talent. Several have a Japanese flair to them, a style he very much appreciated and honored with his name. “Sako” is the combination of two Japanese symbols that translate into the words “Blossom” and “Child.” As a bohemian/beatnik ahead of his time, he was indeed a “flower child” before they ever became popular.

Once Sako passed, his family had his 65 acre homestead annexed into the Regional Land Trust of West Virginia, but in 2019, they re-donated it for the use of Catholic Committee of Appalachia and Catholic Worker ministries. Since then, these two organizations have been collaborating to improve the house and grounds for use as a free short-term Emergency Housing and Retreat Center for those most in need in Roane County.

All proceeds from the sale of his original serigraph prints go directly toward the renovation and upkeep of the Emergency Housing and Retreat Center on SAKO’s. Thank you for considering one or more of his prints and for giving generously.